TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A federal judge in Tampa granted Florida’s motion for a preliminary injunction Friday against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s no sail order that has shut down the cruise industry for more than a year due to the COVID-9 pandemic.
The CDC issued a series of no-sail orders in early 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cruise lines are beginning to test sailing under rules from the CDC.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, filed the lawsuit in April challenging restrictions that idled the industry after outbreaks aboard ships early in the pandemic in 2020.
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Florida and the CDC were ordered to enter mediation but those negotiations failed last week after reaching an impasse, according to court filings.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday granted the preliminary injunction ruling that Florida is “highly likely to prevail on the merits of its claim.”
Under the injunction, beginning July 18 the CDC no-sail order will be a “recommendation” or “guideline,” according to court documents.
“Today’s ruling is a victory for the hardworking Floridians whose livelihoods depend on the cruise industry. The federal government does not, nor should it ever, have the authority to single out and lock down an entire industry indefinitely,” Moody said in a statement. “I am excited to see the cruise industry get sailing again, and proud to stand with Governor Ron DeSantis against illegal federal overreach and draconian lockdown measures.”
The CDC has until July 2 to propose a narrower injunction permitting cruise ships to sail. If the CDC responds, Florida has seven days to respond to its proposal and the parties will resume mediation.
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“The CDC has been wrong all along, and they knew it,” DeSantis said in a statement. “The CDC and the Biden Administration concocted a plan to sink the cruise industry, hiding behind bureaucratic delay and lawsuits. Today, we are securing this victory for Florida families, for the cruise industry, and for every state that wants to preserve its rights in the face of unprecedented federal overreach.”
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